DOCSLIB.ORG

US Military Medical Ethics in the War on Terror George J Annas,1 S Crosby1,2

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
US Military Medical Ethics in the War on Terror George J Annas,1 S Crosby1,2 Invited review J R Army Med Corps: first published as 10.1136/jramc-2018-001062 on 24 January 2019. Downloaded from US military medical ethics in the War on Terror George J Annas,1 S Crosby1,2 1Center for Health Law, Ethics ABSTRact Key messages and Human Rights, Boston Military medical ethics has been challenged by the University School of Public post-11 September 2001 ’War on Terror’. Two recurrent Health, Boston, Massachusetts, The post-9/11 "war on terror" has deformed questions are whether military physicians are officers first ► USA military medical ethics in the US. 2Department of Medicine, or physicians first, and whether military physicians need a The US military has explicitly rejected the Boston University School separate code of ethics. In this article, we focus on how ► WMA's ethical rules regarding hunger strikers of Medicine, Boston, the War on Terror has affected the way we have addressed Massachusetts, USA in detention. these questions since 2001. Two examples frame this The US should re-establish medical ethics rules discussion: the use of military physicians to force-feed ► Correspondence to that explicitly permit military physicians to put hunger strikers held in Guantanamo Bay prison camp, Dr George J Annas, Center for the interests of their patients first. Health Law, Ethics and Human and the uncertain fate of the Department of Defense’s Rights, Boston University School report on ’Ethical Guidelines and Practices for US Military of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA; annasgj@ bu. edu Medical Professionals’. vaccines without their consent in the event of a 4 Received 6 September 2018 chemical or biological attack. But mostly mili- Revised 11 December 2018 tary medical ethics became the subject of intense Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis wrote to all Accepted 12 December 2018 discussion only after 9/11. The baseline for military Published Online First members of the Department of Defense (DoD) in medical ethics was set by the coincidental publica- 24 January 2019 2017 with the subject line, ‘Ethical Standards for All 1 tion by the US military of a 2-volume set, Military Hands’. The core of his message: Medical Ethics, in 2003, which remains the most I expect every member of the Department to play authoritative US publication on this subject.5 the ethical midfield. I need you to be aggressive and In this article we focus on two specific topics show initiative without running the ethical sidelines, to illuminate the ‘physician first problem’, and where even one misstep will have you out of bounds. arguments for and against developing a separate copyright. I want our focus to be on the essence of ethical con- medical ethics code for military physicians. The duct: doing what is right at all times, regardless of first example is the most publicly discussed mili- the circumstances or whether anyone is watching. tary medical ethics controversy of the past 15 years, (Emphasis added) the use of military physicians to force-feed hunger 6 The Secretary’s admonishment was in sharp strikers in Guantanamo Bay. The second is one of contrast to that of General Michael Hayden, former the least publicly discussed ethics reports (whose future is still uncertain), the Defense Health Board’s director of the National Security Agency, and the http://militaryhealth.bmj.com/ Central Intelligence Agency, who told his agents 2015 report on ‘Ethical Guidelines and Practices for 7 after the 9/11 attacks: I want you to play the entire US Military Medical Professionals’. [ethics] field to the limits, ‘I want to see chalk dust on [your] cleats.’2 Mattis also expressed the need PRISON HUNGER STRIKES AND MEDICAL for training in ethical dilemma resolution, as well as ETHICS knowing what it means to live by ‘an ethical code’, The War on Terror incited a vigorous response and follow the military’s Oath of Office. The Mattis that could not be held in check by existing ethics letter treats all military and civilian personnel in codes. After 9/11, there were scandals at Abu the DoD the same, and holds all of them to the Ghraib, abuses at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan same ethics standard. His message has been widely and reports that psychologists at Guantanamo praised. Nevertheless, for physicians (and other Bay prison were participating in interrogations. In on September 27, 2021 by guest. Protected healthcare professionals) serving in the US military, response, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for it begs at least two persistent questions: (1) Are Health Affairs, William Winkenwerder, decided physicians in the US military physicians first or offi- to consolidate all ‘principles and procedures for cers first? and (2) Should military medical ethics be US military medical personnel when working spelled out in a separate code? with detainees under control of US armed forces.’ The question of whether the US military itself When the principles were announced, in 2006, needs new standards of ethics has been raised peri- the most controversial proved to be the role of © Author(s) (or their military physicians in force-feeding competent employer(s)) 2019. Re-use odically since World War II. For example, in 1955 permitted under CC BY-NC. No President Dwight D Eisenhower issued a new ‘Code hunger strikers at Guantanamo. The new Instruc- commercial re-use. See rights of Conduct for Members of the Armed Forces of the tion was entitled ‘Medical Program Support and permissions. Published United States’, in reaction to the ‘brainwashing’ for Detainee Operations’ and the hunger strike by BMJ. of American prisoners of war during the Korean section provided that, 3 To cite: Annas GJ, Crosby S. conflict. One of the few pre-9/11 medical ethics In the case of a hunger strike, attempted suicide, or J R Army Med Corps disputes involved the plan to provide US troops other attempted serious self-harm, medical treatment 2019;165:303–306. in the first Gulf War with experimental drugs and or intervention may be directed without the consent Annas GJ, Crosby S. J R Army Med Corps 2019;165:303–306. doi:10.1136/jramc-2018-001062 303 Invited review J R Army Med Corps: first published as 10.1136/jramc-2018-001062 on 24 January 2019. Downloaded from of the detainee to prevent death or serious harm. Such action must at Guantanamo for 12 years, was never charged with a crime be based on a medical determination that immediate treatment or and was cleared for release in 2009. Judge Kessler initially intervention is necessary to prevent death or serious harm, and, ruled that all forced cell extractions and force-feeding must in addition, must be approved by the commanding officer of the 8 end, the first time such an order had been issued in the history detention facility… (Section 4.7.1, emphasis added) of force-feeding at Guantanamo. The case, however, was This provision is confusing at best. Competent hunger strikers complex: Dhiab was not opposed to voluntary enteral feeding are engaged in a protest, they are neither suicidal nor mentally at the hospital, only to being force-fed in a painful manner in ill. Lumping them into these latter two categories seems a restraint chair. The DoD remarkably refused this request. designed to justify some sort of forced treatment, here forced Judge Kessler described the DoD’s refusal as presenting her feeding. But this directly contravenes the World Medical Asso- with an anguishing Hobson’s choice: to reissue another ciation’s (WMA) Declaration of Malta which prohibits physi- temporary restraining order against force-feeding ‘despite the cians from force-feeding competent hunger strikers.9 This very real probability that Mr Dhiab will die…or allow medical matters because to the best of our knowledge, this is the only actions to keep Mr Dhiab alive, but at the possible cost of great time US military medical ethics standards have been adopted pain and suffering.’ She decided to permit the physicians at that explicitly permit physicians in the military to act in a Guantanamo to resume force-feeding because she did not manner that contravenes applicable worldwide medical ethics believe she had the authority to prohibit it.13 An appeals court standards.10 later ruled that she did in fact have oversight authority.14 In a 7 June 2006 press conference on the new Instruction, Dhiab’s case illustrates many of the elements that are Winkenwerder acknowledged this conflict, but sought to wrong with the Guantanamo force-feeding regime, and why it downplay its importance, saying: ‘We have a policy that is to conflicts with basic medical ethics: (1) the prisoner is compe- preserve life. That policy is an ethical policy. It’s in the best tent and should have the right to refuse treatment; (2) forced interests of the individual who is a hunger striker, for his life to feeding can be ordered by a non-medical person (the base be preserved…’ On medical ethics specifically, Winkenwerder commander) usually long before the prisoner is in any medical said: danger from his hunger strike; (3) the prisoner is brought to the restraint chair violently, by forced cell extraction; (4) naso- We view what we are doing as largely consistent with [the Malta] gastric feeding takes place in up to 8-point restraints (feet, declaration… Malta permits feeding when the hunger striker has lapsed into a coma and is impaired and unable to make a decision. wrists, chest, shoulders and sometimes head) in a ‘restraint It’s our view that we’re basically along the same ethical tenets, same chair’; and (5) this method of force-feeding violates Malta and ethical line of thinking, we just don’t want to have someone get to Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions which prohibits 15 death or near death before we seek to save them.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Position of Secretary of Defense: Statutory Restrictions and Civilian-Military Relations
    The Position of Secretary of Defense: Statutory Restrictions and Civilian-Military Relations Updated January 6, 2021 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R44725 Position of Secretary of Defense: Statutory Restrictions and Civilian-Military Relations Summary The position of Secretary of Defense is unique within the United States government; it is one of two civilian positions within the military chain of command, although unlike the President, the Secretary of Defense is not elected. Section 113 of the United States Code states that the Secretary of Defense is to be “appointed from civilian life by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.” The section goes on to elaborate a key mechanism by which civilian control of the armed forces is maintained: A person may not be appointed as Secretary of Defense within seven years after relief from active duty as a commissioned officer of a regular component of an armed force. The proposed nomination of General (Ret.) Lloyd Austin, United States Army, who retired from the military in 2016, to be Secretary of Defense may lead both houses of Congress to consider whether and how to suspend, change, or remove that provision. This provision was originally contained in the 1947 National Security Act (P.L. 80-253), which mandated that 10 years pass between the time an officer is relieved from active duty and when he or she could be appointed to the office of the Secretary of Defense. In 2007, Section 903 of the FY2008 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 110-181), Congress changed the period of time that must elapse between relief from active duty and appointment to the position of Secretary of Defense to seven years.
    [Show full text]
  • EXECUTIVE INSIGHT BRIEF - March 3, 2017 Date: Monday, March 06, 2017 9:20:37 AM
    From: Craig Quigley To: Craig Quigley Subject: EXECUTIVE INSIGHT BRIEF - March 3, 2017 Date: Monday, March 06, 2017 9:20:37 AM Ladies & Gentlemen, below please find this week’s edition of Executive Insight Brief from The Roosevelt Group. Craig R. Quigley Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.) Executive Director Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance 757-644-6324 (Office) 757-419-1164 (Cell) EXECUTIVE INSIGHT BRIEF | March 3, 2017 TOP STORIES JEFF SESSIONS RECUSES HIMSELF FROM RUSSIA INQUIRY. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, facing a storm of criticism over newly disclosed contacts with the Russian ambassador to the United States, recused himself on Thursday from any investigation into charges that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election. Read more ISIS DUMPED BODIES IN A DESERT SINKHOLE. IT MAY BE YEARS BEFORE WE KNOW THE FULL SCALE OF THE KILLINGS. The horror stories about the Islamic State’s mass killings at a cavernous hole in the desert near Mosul became legendary over the years. Soon after the group took control of the Iraqi city more than 2½ years ago, the 100-foot-wide sinkhole five miles southwest of the airport became a site for summary executions. Read more TRUMP’S DEFENSE SPENDING INCREASE ISN’T EXTRAORDINARY, BUT ITS IMPACT COULD BE. On Monday, the White House announced the first few details of President Trump’s budget proposal, expected to be released within the next month. He plans to increase defense spending by $54 billion — about 10 percent of its 2017 budget. In his joint address to Congress Tuesday night, he falsely called it “one of the largest increases in national defense spending in American history.” Read more KIM JONG-NAM KILLING: N KOREAN SUSPECT TO BE DEPORTED.
    [Show full text]
  • Global Mattis: the New Secretary of Defense
    GLOBAL MATTIS: THE NEW SECRETARY OF DEFENSE Brendan Thomas-Noone January 2017 ALLIANCE BRIEF The nomination of General James N. Mattis to the position of Secretary of Defense in the Trump Administration is a reassuring sign for many allies of the United States, as well as those who are supportive of a continuing US commitment to a rules-based liberal world order. Mattis, a career combat military officer who previously held senior command positions within NATO and retired as the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) in 2013, has expressed strong support for US engagement in the world, reaffirmed commitment to US allies and has talked about the need to confront nations that are attempting to revise established international law and norms. For as long as Mattis is in the Trump Administration, it is likely he will be a stabilising voice and an advocate for US allies like Australia. Committed to US engagement and the global rules-based order Since retiring from military service General Mattis has ‘You could have turned your back on Europe after two been a consistent advocate for US engagement in world wars… Instead the American presidents [say]… the world and has shown support for the international we are going to commit 100 million dead Americans rules-based order as well as confronting revisionist and our nuclear war to keep Western Europe safe.’”3 To powers. This is nominally a positive sign for Australia, understand how much this commitment meant to US which has based much of its national security planning allies, and the example it provided, Mattis stated that on sustained levels of US presence in the region, and “you have to look at it through a non-American’s eyes”.
    [Show full text]
  • The Oregonian 13 Times Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler Threw Shade At
    The Oregonian 13 times Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler threw shade at President Trump on Twitter By Jessica Floum October 9, 2017 It's no secret that Portland's politics lean left, so it should come as no surprise that Mayor Ted Wheeler has publicly disagreed with President Trump on many issues. Since the two politicians started their new positions in January, the Rose City's mayor has taken to Twitter to directly -- and sometimes more subtly -- rebuke the president's actions. 1. When Trump lashed out at a Puerto Rican mayor after a hurricane killed her people Hard to imagine, but we could be on our own after a disaster. Good thing we are planning at the local and regional level. https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/914087234869047296 … President Trump on Saturday attacked San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz for "poor leadership" in a Tweet from a New Jersey golf club. She had criticized his him for his positive portrayal of the slow federal response to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria thrashed the island and killed more than 15 people. Wheeler was not amused. 2. When Attorney General Jeff Sessions visited Portland I am not meeting with AG Sessions today, but I did send along this letter. https://www.portlandoregon.gov/wheeler/article/655883 … When Attorney General Jeff Sessions came to town, Wheeler wrote him a welcome letter calling the attorney general's attention to how well Portland's culture and economy is doing and telling him to take his administration's immigration policies and threats to withhold funds from sanctuary cities back to D.C.
    [Show full text]
  • U.S. Central Command Change of Command- Page 10
    Vol. 41, No. 13 Thursday, March 28, 2013 U.S. Central Command change of command - page 10 Photo by Senior Airman Melanie Bulow-Kelly Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin, III, incoming commander of U.S. Central Command (center), shakes hands with Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, outgoing commander, during the change of command ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base Friday. Mattis will retire later this year after more than 40 years of service. To their left is Army General Martin E. Dempsey, 18th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. COMMANDER’S CORNER My ‘C-’ in Ethics 101 explained — this stuff really is important by Lt. Col. Ira Perkins can the gut instinct of personal ethics be in such apparent conflict with 21st Space Wing Staff Judge Advocate the rules of government ethics? Simply put, personal ethics and government ethics are different PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — My worst college grade creatures in both origin and purpose. Personal ethics are about human was in ethics. Axiological ethics, deontological ethics, morals versus relationships and aim to make us better people and as such, they are values — it all seemed kind of mushy to me. After receiving my “C-,” I the kind of rules we tend to learn in kindergarten (be charitable, help skeptically reduced my personal ethics into a simple formula: if it feels your neighbor). Government ethics, on the other hand, exist only to en- good in my gut and doesn’t harm anybody else, it’s probably OK. sure that the public can trust government employees to put the nation’s Clearly, there are caveats to such a general principle, but when I lec- interest ahead of their own selfish interests.
    [Show full text]
  • Trump's Generals
    STRATEGIC STUDIES QUARTERLY - PERSPECTIVE Trump’s Generals: A Natural Experiment in Civil-Military Relations JAMES JOYNER Abstract President Donald Trump’s filling of numerous top policy positions with active and retired officers he called “my generals” generated fears of mili- tarization of foreign policy, loss of civilian control of the military, and politicization of the military—yet also hope that they might restrain his worst impulses. Because the generals were all gone by the halfway mark of his administration, we have a natural experiment that allows us to com- pare a Trump presidency with and without retired generals serving as “adults in the room.” None of the dire predictions turned out to be quite true. While Trump repeatedly flirted with civil- military crises, they were not significantly amplified or deterred by the presence of retired generals in key roles. Further, the pattern continued in the second half of the ad- ministration when “true” civilians filled these billets. Whether longer-term damage was done, however, remains unresolved. ***** he presidency of Donald Trump served as a natural experiment, testing many of the long- debated precepts of the civil-military relations (CMR) literature. His postelection interviewing of Tmore than a half dozen recently retired four- star officers for senior posts in his administration unleashed a torrent of columns pointing to the dangers of further militarization of US foreign policy and damage to the military as a nonpartisan institution. At the same time, many argued that these men were uniquely qualified to rein in Trump’s worst pro- clivities. With Trump’s tenure over, we can begin to evaluate these claims.
    [Show full text]
  • Supplemental Statement Washington, DC 20530 Pursuant to the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, As Amended
    Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/11 /2018 4:10:50 PM OMB No 1124-0002; Expires May 31,2020 ' I.S. Department of Justice Supplemental Statement Washington, DC 20530 Pursuant to the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended For Six Month Period Ending 3/31/18 (Insert date) I-REGISTRANT 1. (a) Name of Registrant (b) Registration No. The Livingston Group, LLC #6344 (c) Business Address(es) of Registrant 499 S. Capitol Street, SW, Suite 600 Washington, DC 20003 2. Has there been a change in the information previously furnished in connection with the following? (a) If an individual: (1) Residence address(es) Yes □ No □ (2) Citizenship Yes □ No □ (3) Occupation Yes □ No □ (b) If an organization: (1) Name Yes Q No H (2) Ownership or control Yes Q No 0 (3) Branch offices Yes □ No 0 (c) Explain fully all changes, if any, indicated in Items (a) and (b) above. IF THE REGISTRANT IS AN INDIVIDUAL, OMIT RESPONSE TO ITEMS 3,4, AND 5(a), 3. If you have previously filed Exhibit C*1, state whether any changes therein have occurred during this 6 month reporting period. Yes □ No S If yes, have you filed an amendment to the Exhibit C? Yes □ No □ If no, please attach the required amendment. 1 The Exhibit C, for which no printed form is provided, consists of a true'copy of the charter, articles of incorporation, association, and by laws of a registrant that is an organization. (A waiver of the requirement to file an Exhibit C may be obtained for good cause upon written application to the Assistant Attorney General, National Security Division, US.
    [Show full text]
  • “All Take, No Give” Won't Work with North Korea
    “All Take, No Give” Won’t Work with North Korea By: Leon V. Sigal 38 North August 29, 2018 It’s called diplomatic give-and-take for a reason. The United States cannot get some of what it wants without giving North Korea some of what it wants. Yet that is precisely what Washington has been trying to do—and predictably getting nowhere, as President Trump acknowledged by postponing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s latest mission to Pyongyang. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis tried to increase pressure on the North by announcing, “We have no plans at this time to suspend any more exercises.” While he clarified that no decision had yet been made, he also noted, “We are going to see how the negotiations go, and then we will calculate the future, how we go forward.” Washington is insisting that Pyongyang fulfill its commitment at the Singapore Summit to “work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” without addressing its own commitments at that summit “to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations,” and “to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean peninsula.” Policymakers opposed to negotiations have disclosed intelligence that North Korea is continuing to produce fissile material and missiles, as if it is obliged to stop without any deal. While the Trump administration demanded that the North move first, reportedly by providing a complete inventory of its nuclear material and production facilities, the North countered with the demand that Washington join South Korea in declaring an end to the Korean War. The declaration would commit to initiating a peace process that would include military confidence building measures to reduce the risk of deadly clashes in the contested waters of the West (Yellow) Sea and the Demilitarized Zone and culminate in a formal peace treaty.
    [Show full text]
  • Fearing Korean Nuclear War, Women of 40 Nations Urge Trump to Seek Peace Choe Sang-Hun the New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/world/asia/north-korea-trump-nuclear-war.html?smid=fb- share&_r=2 Fearing Korean Nuclear War, Women of 40 Nations Urge Trump to Seek Peace Choe Sang-Hun The New York Times SEOUL, South Korea — As the White House prepared to brief members of the Senate on North Korea on Wednesday, female activists from more than 40 countries, including North and South Korea, urged President Trump to defuse military tensions and start negotiating for peace to prevent war from erupting on the Korean Peninsula. They said they feared that the rapidly escalating tensions on the peninsula, if left unchecked, could engulf the region in nuclear war. “We are united by our belief that diplomacy is the only way to resolve the nuclear crisis and threat of war now facing the Korean Peninsula,” said their letter to Mr. Trump, dated Wednesday. “Peace is the most powerful deterrent of all.” A copy of the letter, signed by hundreds of female leaders, was made available in advance. It was also being sent to several senators who visited the White House for the briefing, said Christine Ahn, international coordinator for Women Cross DMZ, a group of female peace activists that helped organize the letter campaign. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis briefed the entire Senate at the White House on North Korea. The briefing also included Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, and Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The briefing comes as the United States and its allies South Korea and Japan step up their military readiness amid signs the North is getting ready to test a nuclear device despite warnings by the United States and others not to do so.
    [Show full text]
  • The Micromanagement Myth and Mission Command: Making the Case for Oversight of Military Operations by Christopher J
    STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVES 33 The Micromanagement Myth and Mission Command: Making the Case for Oversight of Military Operations by Christopher J. Lamb Center for Strategic Research Institute for National Strategic Studies National Defense University Institute for National Strategic Studies National Defense University The Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) is National Defense University’s (NDU’s) dedicated research arm. INSS includes the Center for Strategic Research, Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs, and Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction. The military and civilian analysts and staff who comprise INSS and its subcomponents execute their mission by conducting research and analysis, publishing, and participating in conferences, policy support, and outreach. The mission of INSS is to conduct strategic studies for the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the unified combatant commands in support of the academic programs at NDU and to perform outreach to other U.S. Government agencies and the broader national security community. Cover: General William Westmoreland luncheon meeting with President Lyndon B. Johnson, The White House, April 6, 1968 (Yoichi Okamoto/ Courtesy LBJ Presidential Library/C9391-17A) The Micromanagement Myth and Mission Command The Micromanagement Myth and Mission Command: Making the Case for Oversight of Military Operations By Christopher J. Lamb Institute for National Strategic Studies Strategic Perspectives, No. 33 Series Editor: Thomas F. Lynch III National Defense University Press Washington, D.C. August 2020 Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of the State Department, Defense Department, or any other agency of the Federal Government.
    [Show full text]
  • September 9, 2019 Retired General and Defense Secretary James Mattis Will Join the Cohen Group Washington, DC
    September 9, 2019 Retired General and Defense Secretary James Mattis will join The Cohen Group Washington, D.C. -- General James Mattis will join The Cohen Group as a Senior Counselor in October, the firm announced today. “Jim Mattis is a national treasure, a leader known throughout the world for his strategic judgment as well as his unyielding principles,” said former Defense Secretary Bill Cohen, Chairman of The Cohen Group. “He is a Marine, a student of history, a scholar and teacher, and a public servant in the truest sense of the term. We are honored to be working with him, and our clients will benefit from his knowledge and guidance.” General Mattis served as the U.S. Secretary of Defense from January 2017 to December 2018. He commanded troops at all levels during his 43- year career as an infantry Marine, retiring in 2013. His major command assignments included U.S. Joint Forces Command and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation. As the head of the U.S. Central Command, he directed military operations of more than 200,000 military personnel across 20 countries from Northeast Africa across the Middle East to Central and South Asia. Secretary Cohen and General Mattis began working together in 1997 when General Mattis was a Colonel serving as the Executive Secretary in the front office at the Pentagon. When his nomination as Defense Secretary was announced in December 2016, the late Senator John McCain said, “Jim Mattis is without a doubt one of the finest military officers of his generation and an extraordinary leader who inspires a rare and special admiration in his troops.” In addition to his work with The Cohen Group, General Mattis is the Davies Family Distinguished Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, a member of the Board of Directors of General Dynamics, and a member of the Board of the Tri-Cities Food Bank in his hometown of Richland, Washington.
    [Show full text]
  • Ausaextra December 10.Indd
    PUBLISHED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY www.ausa.org IN THIS ISSUE VOLUME 2 NUMBER 32 DECEMBER 10, 2020 Review Prompts Safety Improvements 3 Army Reserve CSM Speaks at AUSA Event 4 Government Affairs Defense Legislation Progresses 6 Chapter Highlight Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin presents the General Colin L. Powell Lecture for students of the 2019 Greater Los Angeles Command and General Staff Officers’ Course at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. (U.S. ARMY PHOTO) 7 Austin nominated for defense secretary retired Army four-star general require a congressional waiver be- Biden wrote. is President-elect Joe Biden’s cause the National Security Act of “He played a crucial role in bring- A choice to become his secretary 1947, last modified in 2008, requires ing 150,000 American troops home of defense, a historic selection because a minimum seven-year gap between from the theater of war. Pulling that Gen. Lloyd Austin would be only the active-duty service and an appoint- off took more than just the skill and third retired general officer to serve ment to be defense secretary. strategy of a seasoned soldier. It re- in the post and the first Black person A waiver was granted in 2017 allow- quired Austin to practice diplomacy, to lead DoD. ing retired Marine Gen. Jim Mattis to building relationships with our Iraqi The 67-year-old Austin retired serve as defense secretary. A waiver counterparts and with our partners from the Army in 2016 after rising was also required in 1950 for General in the region. He served as a states- to serve as the 33rd Army vice chief of the Army George Marshall.
    [Show full text]